With a Little Help From My Friends
by felleny
Summary: Jim and Nyota just want to help their friends out. Part of the "Across the Universe" series.


"She wants you, you know that?"

Leonard glanced up from his dinner to his friend, an eyebrow arched. Jim hooked his thumb towards the mess hall's replicator, where Christine shift from foot to foot as she wait for her dinner. Rolling his eyes, Leonard looked back down at his food, stabbing a potato. "Fuck off, Jim."

"No, Bones, that's what _she_ wants," Jim snickered, stuffing a potato in his own mouth. "Uhura told me. They talk, y'know?"

Setting his fork down, Leonard narrowed his eyes, glaring at the other. "Jim. I ain't looking for some office booty call, you got me?"

He kept his growl low, however, as Christine walked by, giving her a small wave. Across from him, Jim rolled his eyes, arching an eyebrow of his own.

"Okay then," he leaned back in his chair, tilting his head to the side. "So what _are_ you looking for?"

"'_I need someone to love.' _Can you believe that?" Jim let out a cackle of a laugh, shaking his head in disbelief.

Looking across the small briefing room, he noticed that Nyota wasn't nearly as amused as he was. Knitting his brows together, he shrugged his shoulders in question. "What'd I do?"

"You told him she wanted to _fuck _him?" She rolled her eyes, pressing the heels of her hands over them and shaking her head. "Could you _be_ any more of an ass? I told you Christine liked him, not that she wanted to jump his-" Nyota paused, pursing her lips together.

"…Bones?" Jim finished, smirking to himself.

"You are twelve sometimes, I swear," Nyota sighed shortly, shaking her head as she leaned against the wall. "I ask you to help me out and you make her sound like some sort of horny teenager."

"Nyota," Jim walked around the table to her, resting a hand on his shoulder. "You've got to understand how guys work. We don't divulge our emotions that fast, even to our best friends. We've got to pick a bit, first," he hooked his finger in front of her nose a couple times to emphasize his point. "If you ever want to know how a guy feels about a girl, you mention plowing her."

Nyota shook her head slowly, quirking her brows in disbelief. Of all the alien languages she understood, Jim Kirk was not one of them. "So Bones is interested in her?"

"Very," Jim smiled, moving so he leaned against the wall beside her. "However, I don't know if he's quite willing to say anything. He's stubborn, y'know?"

"And Christine's shy. She'd never make the first move," she shrugged, shaking her head once more. "So we're stuck in a continuous loop of puppy dog eyes and bitching, hmm?"

Jim shrugged as well, resting his head on the top of Nyota's. The lieutenant couldn't help but give a small smile, reaching up to pat her friend's cheek.

"Wait a minute!" His voice was suddenly a bit too loud in her ear and Nyota let out a frustrated yelp as she shrugged away from him. Jim's eyes were wide, his mouth in that small "O" shape he always got when he had an epiphany. "We've got that thing on Starbase 93 coming up, right?"

"The Federation's Excellency Banquet, yes," Nyota nodded, reaching up to rub at her ear. "Starfleet's putting us up in the Nebula hotel for the duration. You were in charge of reservations, remember?"

A devilish smirk spread onto Jim's lips, his blue eyes sparkling. Nyota arched an eyebrow, a bemused smile gracing her own lips.

"I'm sure whatever you're scheming is entirely childish, yet absolutely brilliant."

"Run that by me again?" Leonard drummed his fingers impatiently on the front desk of the Nebula hotel. A vein throbbed ominously at his temple.

"I'm sorry, Doctor McCoy. There must have been a miscommunication in our booking process. You and Miss Chapel have been booked together," the young Andorian woman explained, looking a little unnerved.

"Well, get me a new one, damn it!" He pat his uniform pockets, trying to find his wallet. "How many credits am I going to have to shell out for _your_ muck up?"

"I sincerely apologize, sir, but we're booked solid for the Banquet," the woman's antennae pressed back against her head and she looked as if she was struggling to keep her composure.

Sighing heavily, Leonard glanced over at his new roommate. Christine blushed faintly, her blue eyes wide and nervous. He reached out and gently pat her shoulder as he slipped past her. It wasn't_ her_ fault; he couldn't get mad at her. Jim, on the other hand…

"Weren't you in charge of placing the reservations?" He asked as he approached his friend, arms crossed over his chest.

Jim peered over at the other's shoulder to where Nyota had struck up a conversation with Christine. His eyes locked on with his linguist's for a moment, giving her a small wink before turning back to Leonard. Smiling wide, he clapped a hand to his shoulder. "Yeah. But I'm pretty sure I owed you a favor, right?"

Leonard's eyes widened, his jaw dropping slightly. "A fa- you call this a favor?"

The young captain nodded once, smiling wide. "Yep. Just looking out for you, pal."

And with a clap to the shoulder as his goodbye, Leonard was alone again, his hands resting on his hips. "Some friend you are…"

He turned back towards Christine, watching as she balanced her suitcase with the gift bag the hotel provided. And when she smiled and rolled her eyes at him, Leonard began to think that it wouldn't be so bad after all.


End file.
